Different Perspectives
by SpectrumRay16
Summary: This story takes place 16 years prior to the main plot and revolves around the Lion's sin of Pride, Escanor, from a different perspective. The seven deadly sins will embark on a mission, 134 miles from Liones, to the Varbylos Stronghold where they will meet their last member and witness his true nature. This is my first story and i hope you enjoy it.
1. The Calm Before the Storm

A lonely man, wearing a white shirt and pants several sizes too large, lay in a clearing. His backpack lent against a large rock, a few meters behind him. He observed the sky and noticed it was rather cloudy. This led him to imagine how it felt to be a cloud. Surrounded by others like yourself, floating around at your own speed, never truly caring about people's opinions of you. This made him smiled. How amazing it would be if he were born a cloud. He lifted himself to a sitting position and noticed a colony of ants rummaging around for food. He had read a few books on these creatures and knew they lived in colonies, working together to supply a queen with all she needed to produce more children. This prompted another question. Is the life of an ant better than a humans? They are surprisingly similar to humans and they only live short lives, but they are always focused on the same task, until they die. Can you honestly compare humans to ants? Does the life of an ant hold more merit than that of a human?

He was constantly thinking of these things, never believing his cursed life could amount to anything. He remained alone and forgotten, not a soul knew he existed and he preferred it that way. But, he would always envy the people he saw: Lovers walking through town, children following their parents and friends traveling in groups. His life could never be like theirs… and the empty feelings inside of him created a hollow shell. If he began his life a human, he could no longer be considered one any longer. He was 24 years old and had only caused pain and misery wherever he went. His life was sinful and he felt like it served no purpose.

He sighed and gently rose from the ground. Thinking about his life like this would only serve to depress him further. He walked towards his backpack, but, before he could reach it was startled by a tall man wearing a red suit of armor, the man was also armed with an unusual weapon. His heart was pounding and he stared at the stranger in front of him. He assumed the man in armor was a knight and, judging by his actions, was looking for something. He panicked, thinking that he might be here looking for him, and quickened the pace towards his backpack… until he stepped on a branch.

 ***Snap***

His face turned to sheer horror as he the branch broke beneath him, sweat pouring down his face at an alarming speed. He slowly turned around to find the knight standing behind him.

" _Where do you think you're going?_ " the knight asked. His method of speaking was peculiar, as he prolonged the punctuation in a singing manner.

" _I… uh…hmm…_ " The man could not speak he was terrified; he turned around to run away, but, the knight simply grabbed the collar of his shirt, subsequently making the man fall on his butt. The knight seemed unhappy at the lack of cooperation the man had given him and dragged him back to his camp.

" _I'll let the captain decide what to do with you_ " he singed. "I'm sure he'll find something useful out of your information".

The man sighed, " _Great… look at the mess you're in now Escanor_ " _,_ _Hopefully his captain is a decent man and will realize I have nothing he wants_ ". Even though his life was going nowhere, he had a sudden realization… perhaps this was a good thing? If his captain found a use for him, then perhaps he might gain a purpose? A smile began to grow on Escanor's face, for the first time, his perspective on his own life had changed 

"I may not have the greatest life, but, I have the ability to change it and make my own decision. It's impossible to have a perfect life, you will always find something you desire that you can never obtain. You need to experience hardship in order to truly show compassion. You need to understand love in order to show it and you need to consider yourself more important than others sometimes". He smiled from ear to ear, as he thought about this. His adventure began today, the journey from a lonely wanderer to the Lion's sin of Pride.


	2. Meeting the sins

The knight began dragging him away, but, not before stopping at a crossroad. Escanor looked at the knight in disbelief. There was no way he had forgotten his back to his camp, right? The answer came in the form of miniature temper tantrum from the knight.

" _Damn it, which way do I go_?" the knight said with a frustrated tone.

Escanor found himself staring at him with a cheeky smile.

" _You're lost, aren't you?_ " he asked, knowing what the answer would be. He came to regret this decision as the knight turned his head slowly with a sinister look in his eyes.

 ***Bang* *Crash* *Thump***

A few minutes pass and the knight would choose the left route, dragging a beaten and unconscious Escanor along with him. A walk that should have taken 5 minutes from the clearing ended up taking a good half an hour, until he finally found his way back.

" _Hey captain, I'm back_ " he grinned throwing a now conscious Escanor to the floor. He then proceeded to grab the nearest bottle of Bernia Ale, making quick work of the bottle and proceeding to several others.

" _You've been gone for 3 hours, Ban_ " said a small boy, wearing greyish armor and a sword with a dragon handle on his back. This confused Escanor greatly. How could a 10 year old boy be a knight? The boy was much kinder than the knight he referred to as Ban; Sitting in front of Escanor probably hoping for some information. Escanor was curious about his predicament and decided to ask him a few questions, the first of which being the most generic question ever.

" _Who are you?_ " he asked the kid, simultaneously reaching for some Ale and taking a nice large gulp of it.

" _I'm the Dragon's sin of Wrath, Meliodas, and captain of the seven deadly sins_." the boy replied with a proud smile.

Upon hearing this reply, Escanor came to regret drinking the ale as he spat it out in an extremely exaggerated way.

" _You're the captain?_ " he asked frantically, completely bewildered at the news he just heard.

" _Yeah, but, why do you find that surprising? Have you been living under a rock or something?_ " He teased, clearly thinking that Escanor should know who he is.

After all the seven deadly sins had been together for 2 months now, not to mention they had tackled some pretty outrageous mission and tough enemies on behalf of the Kingdom of Liones.

Upon hearing his response Escanor's head drooped down between his shoulders in a depressed state.

" _Actually, I have been living under a rock…_ " he replied, tears streaming down his face.

" _Oh… well at least you know now, right?_ " the captain replied, his positive aura repelling the negative emotions Escanor had, not to mention it was rather… comforting to have someone else talking to him, in such a tone.

" _Could you explain to me what the seven deadly sins are, please?_ " Escanor asked, curious to learn more about the world he had come to avoid.

" _We were all criminals, guilty of committing vile sins and were brought together by the king of Liones to serve the kingdom and repent for our actions_ " Meliodas said. His tone had changed upon talking of this topic, meaning it brought him great anguish mentioning it to others. There was a long silence that seemed to last for hours, before it was broken by the sound of loud footsteps.

 ***BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM***

" _CAPTAIN WERE BACK!_ " yelled an incredibly optimistic giantess wearing an orange suit of armor, followed by a fairy, in a chubby green suit of armor, and a silent man covered in large purple armor. After what happened earlier with Ban, Escanor was concerned with the arrival of 3 more sins. He hoped that they would be friendlier than their companion.

" _Oh, guys i was wondering when you would get back. How did the reconnaissance go?_ " he said cheerfully. This was the last thing he said, before the giant girl picked him up.

" _Captain, I missed you. I don't want to spend any more time away from you_ " she said whilst rubbing him into her face. His facial expressions clearly showcased his discomfort in this scenario.

" _Diane, can you please put me down, I was having a conversation with that man._ " He said, pointing down at Escanor, who waved nervously at the giant. To which she broke down and began crying.

" _Captain would rather have a conversation with a stranger than talk to me_ " she sobbed.

Her logic was terribly flawed. Had Escanor not remembered what happened with Ban an earlier, he would have questioned her logic… and he would have probably been crushed.

" _Actually, Diane, you interrupted their conversation… but, i'm sure they won't mind if you join in_ " said the fairy, trying to reassure the giantess.

" _…_ _OK_ " she replied, wiping the tears from her eyes.

" _I'm the Serpent's sin of Envy, Diane, nice to meet you._ " she said, completely changing her tone to a more cheerful one.

" _I'm the Grizzly's sin of Sloth, King, it's a pleasure to meet you_ " said the fairy. He was obviously in love with the giantess, even Escanor could see that.

Escanor noticed the man wearing the purple armor had appeared behind him and as he turned his head to acknowledged the man's existence he introduced himself in an unexpected way.

" _I'm the Goat's sin of Lust, Gowther_ " said the man, striking a pose and sounding incredibly enthusiastic.

This made Escanor's eyes widen and sent shivers down his spine. He had not seen something as disturbing as that, in a long time.

" _My name is… Escanor… nice to meet you all_ " he said nervously.

Diane let out a smile, sitting down next to him, and apologized for her earlier outburst. Gowther remained standing and observed the situation. King went towards the captain showing a great amount of concern around Escanor.

" _King, what did you find out on the enemy's location?_ " Asked Meliodas, clearly having his priorities straight.

" _Never mind that captain, there is something more urgent to talk about here… isn't Escanor the name of a renegade holy knight who destroys kingdoms and slaughters kings, for his own selfish desires?_ " King asked, panicked by the current situation.

" _Huh? King I think your worrying too much. How could someone like that, destroy several kingdoms?_ " Meliodas stated, pointing to Diane and Escanor having a conversation about Ban, laughing about their experiences and agreeing that he has a horrible way of treating people. Escanor might not have said anything, if Ban weren't on the floor drunk though.

" _King, you need to relax... now tell me what you saw at the Varbylos stronghold_ " Meliodas returned to his original question.

" _It's not great captain. We might not complete this mission, unless all 6 of us are together. And for him... i don't trust him._ " King stated with a concerned look.

" _In that case, let's wait for Merlin to arrive, she'll know what to do_ " Meliodas replied, removing King's concerns and preparing for their mission.

In 5 hours the sun will rise and in 2 hours the sins will arrive at the Varbylos stronghold. Next time Merlin arrives...


	3. Waiting for Merlin

The events that took place in the two hours it took Merlin to arrive would mark Escanor's first impressions of the sins and his opinions of them in the future. Awaiting the arrival of Merlin, the sins and Escanor found ways to occupy themselves. Gowther decided to read a book, King yelled at Ban for drinking too much, Ban and Meliodas continued their arm wrestling competition and Diane and Escanor had a nice long chat.

" _That's the 221_ _st_ _time Ban and I've won 111 of them_ " exclaimed Meliodas, spinning his arm, raring for another round.

" _What? Captain your maths wrong, I'm the one with the most wins_ " Ban stated, cracking his right hand.

" _All men are the same…_ " signed Diane. She seemed fixated on their game, although she was clearly not enjoying it.

" _How are all men the same? Do we all have pointless arm wrestling matches?_ " asked Escanor. He felt insulted that she would compare him with Ban. He clearly hated Ban, after all what happened in the woods terrified him.

" _Well… all the males of my clan compete in arm wrestles all the time. They usually do it to impress a woman or settle an argument and it just reminds me of how barbaric giants are… all we care about his strength and the ability to fight._ " She replied. Clearly this was a hard topic for her to discuss as she slowly curled into a ball on the ground.

" _If that's what you see when you look at them, think of it this way. Men are prone to being more aggressive than woman and usually resort to strength based activities to attract them. Although these two aren't doing that, they're having fun. A friendly competition to see who can win the most times, because they are so bored and they have nothing better to do. You see, not all men are like that. In fact King over there could never win your heart with strength alone; he would need to impress you with his words._ " He stated. Trying to comfort the giant girl and to his surprise it worked.

" _Really? I guess that makes sense. I guess humans think differently to giants, in that regard... How would you impress a woman?_ " she asked curiously. Her question made Escanor blush; he had never spoken with a girl or a giant before, combine that with how shy he usually was and he felt completely exposed, not to mention, out of his comfort zone. He managed to calm himself down to the point where he could speak to her without his nerves

" _If I were to impress a woman, I would write her a heartfelt poem showing her how much I care about her. I would insert my love into a poem, hopefully making its way to her, like a gentle breeze brushing against you on a warm day. It would feel nice to know someone feels so strongly about you. That's what I would do_." he replied sincerely, truthfully he believed the way to a woman's heart was through words. Upon looking at Diane's face, she had stopped crying and was now looking at him with a great amount of interest.

" _Aww… that's sweet. If you can write poems, could you write one now? Write one about me!_ " She seemed interested in his poems and now that he had ranted on how poems were superior to strength it would have disappointed Diane if he did not follow through.

" _I'll give it a try, but, it might take a while. You cannot rush a poem and you need to make it rhyme_ " he explained, hoping this would give him more time to appease the giantess.

" _A fire burns with eternal love"_

" _Her beauty is envied in the heavens above"_

" _Her luscious hair blows in the wind"_

" _The kind giantess, the serpent's sin"_

" _It's something along these lines, but, usually they are longer and shed more light on the individual…what?_ " He tried excusing the short length of his poem, but Diane did not care for such things.

" _Wow, poems are cool… and you can put anything in a poem, right? Like I could make one about how much I love pork_ " she said, excited to know more about this human concept.

" _Of course you can, you can make a poem about anything, even things that make you sad. Who knows, maybe it can cheer you up._ " He said, smiling at the giant girl. This was his first conversation with someone and as it progressed he found himself making his first friend.

" _Who would have guessed I would find it easier to befriend a giant than a human_ " He thought, chuckling to himself about the abnormality before him.

" _What are you guys laughing about_ " muttered the fairy, clearly in a bad mood from dealing with the arm wrestling matches.

" _Talking about different types of men and poetry_ " said Diane, eager to share her experiences with King.

" _How could you know anything about poetry?_ " he asked, directing his attention to Escanor. He was in disbelief that Diane be so happy learning a human art form. What made matters worse is that he did not trust Escanor. He dealt with Ban because they were teammates, but, he still despised him. But, Escanor was dangerous and King was the only one who knew about it… or was he?

" _After all, the captain seemed fairly relaxed at the news that Escanor could kill them all any time. Was there something he knew, perhaps a second mission? But, then why were we not told of this? We've been looking for an elusive member and for more than 4 months he has evaded us, giving us no chance to capture him. The captain was looking for him before he met Diane and, even back then, could not find a trace of him. Is this the last member?Is this weak and frail looking man, the sin of Pride?_ " King thought to himself.

The more he thought about it, the more King realized the captain was right. How could Escanor be a dangerous criminal? He looked harmless and kind-hearted. If Diane enjoyed his company, he would not spoil their fun. But, he also wanted to be included in their conversation… after all he also had to wait for Merlin.

" _Captain, I have the most wins again_ " Ban said in a singing manner, clearly enjoying himself.

" _Look who has terrible math skills now, I'm totally winning._ " replied Meliodas, although he was enjoying himself, there was something on his mind.

" _Oh yeah… Gowther I've lost count of how many times we've wrestled. Could you tell me the score?_ " He asked, looking at Ban with a cheeky smirk across his face, the latter of which gave his captain the same smile, only a more sinister version.

" _Captain: 144 wins, Ban: 144 wins, total: 288 arm wrestling matches._ " replied Gowther, emotionless as always and striking yet another creepy pose. Realizing they had the same amount of wins, there was a brief silence in the air... they looked at each other with little to no emotions. Then they continued their competition without any hesitation, this time taking it to the next level and applying all their strength.

 ***BOOM***

Escanor found himself in a small encampment. Sitting next to a giantess and a floating fairy, having a drink and watching Ban and Meliodas continue their competition. He watched as Gowther, kept the score recorded in his mind and he could not help but laugh. He was enjoying himself… something he had not been able to do his entire life. But, that was when he met the Boar's sin of Gluttony and his entire view of life changed.

" _Hey everyone, sorry for being late, but, I have information regarding our mission, so let's begin our preparations_ " said a woman wearing a dark blue blouse with an armored dress.

She removed her helmet and let her hair wave around in the moonlight. Her charismatic smile shone through the distance and the others all gathered around her. This left Escanor's heart beating faster than he could bear, he began sweating again, similar to his encounter with Ban. What was happening to him? He was nervous, and that is because of her gender. He was not being sexist; he had just never had the courage to talk to a woman before. Diane was the first woman to ever hear his voice, but, she would not be the last.

" _Hello there, I do not believe we have met. I am the Boar's sin of Gluttony Merlin. It's nice to meet you._ " she said with a confident expression and a smile across her face. Escanor's nerves began to subside as he smiled back at Merlin.

" _Hello…I'm Escanor… it's nice to meet you too._ " he said.

" _Escanor? Will you be helping us on this mission?_ " What he wanted to say was no, he did not want his new friends to be hurt upon the sunrise. But… he did not want to leave them without thanking them for their hospitality.

" _Yes… I will help the seven deadly sins, in their mission._ " He stated. This excited Diane, Merlin and Meliodas. Although King, Gowther and Ban had no issues with it, they were not as optimistic for this man to join them on their mission.


	4. Vladimir and the Varbylos Stronghold

Time before the sins arrive at the Varbylos Stronghold: 30 minutes

Time before sunrise: 3 hours

* * *

As Merlin arrived at the encampment both King and Meliodas gathered around a table, inside the largest tent and began to discuss the strategy. They needed to analyse their situation, and they needed to think about their position. The Varbylos Stronghold had never been conquered, although in the last week, a renegade holy named Vladimir had besieged the stronghold and taken it without a single casualty. The man was the former great holy knight of Camelot. He was a loyal knight, who obeyed all his commands and scaled the ranks with his cunning ability and his power. He held the king's son, Kay, in high regard and even trained him in swordplay. However, when the king declared that Arthur would be the next king of Camelot he disagreed with the king. He left his position and home, but, took all the knights who followed him into battle. He had a strong force behind him and even Merlin was worried about his ability to defend the stronghold.

They used to call him Vlad the unpredictable and for good reasons. His strategies were extremely effective, despite their peculiar nature. His men trusted him completely and he managed to drop his casualty rate to around 1 man per 4 battles. These were very good odds for any general and it would surely take a miracle, or perhaps an outburst of power to take him down.

* * *

" _We need to formulate a strategy and rethink our options. We cannot underestimate the strategic mind of this man. Our combined strength will not matter if we are unable to deal with any possible traps or surprises. The 3 of us need to think of a plan, we cannot run rampant into the stronghold like we usually do."_ Merlin said with a serious tone. She had scouted the area with location magic and with King's information they could plan their next course of action.

"I would assume sending Ban and Diane to attack the fortress head on would be enough to break the wall." Meliodas stated. He seemed less interested in making a strategy and more interested in returning to his arm wrestling competition with Ban.

"Captain, we can't send Diane to do that. They have 12 Ballistae on the wall, not to mention they greatly outnumber us." yelled King. He seemed thoroughly upset that the captain would send Diane to get hurt, without a second thought.

"Let's compare our forces then shall we?" suggested Merlin. Despite the desperate situation she was calm.

"They have 551 men including: 400 holy knights, 100 archers, 50 siege engineers and their leader. The power level required to become a holy knight of Camelot is 550 meaning their weakest members would be at least this strong. Their elite knights could be as strong as 2550. Considering their leader is Vladimir we need to consider his strategic mind and his power level of 3021. He could potentially defeat a member of the sins, if given the chance and is our most troublesome opponent. Furthermore each of the sins has a power level over 3000, but, considering there are 6 of us and 1 Escanor fighting 551 troops who are all hardened from countless wars, we need to consider our options carefully." Merlin explained. She was well prepared for the mission, more so than the other sins. It would seem Vladimir was an exceptional leader and Merlin had done her research about his capabilities.

"I see, so if we cannot charge the stronghold what do you suggest? Do you think he will let us inside if we ask him nicely? Said the captain. His response could have been taken as a joke, but, his tone and the look in his eyes were serious. Did he honestly think they would let them in? Merlin kept a smile on her face although King looked at him in disbelief.

"I don't think that will work captain" she said "He knows about the seven deadly sins and he knows what we are capable of. The trouble is, he has devised a way to repel all 6 of us."

"How does he plan on doing that?" asked King, clearly worried now that he had heard the news.

"I am not sure… I overheard one of the knights explaining to the men on the watchtower that if the seven deadly sins show up, commence operation "Purify".

With all the odds stacked against them, they came to a decision. They needed to find a way to break the walls without anybody getting hurt. They also needed to get inside without getting shot by siege equipment. This would take some time, but, the 3 sins left the tent and gathered the rest of the people.

"Alright everyone, we have a plan and we need you all to follow it perfectly, got that?" Meliodas declared as his smile eased them into a state of readiness.

A giant, a fairy, an emotionless man, a child, a sorceress and a human… they were probably the weirdest group of knights Escanor had ever seen and he felt as though he truly belonged with them. He was happy, even though the mission would be taking place shortly he knew that if they followed the plan they could make it back before sunrise. He did not want to change in front of his friends, nor did he want to scare them by doing so.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, at the Varbylos Stronghold:**

"Have you placed the Ballistae on the walls? How about the surprise we have in store for any intruders?" a man in a black suit of armor asked. His grin was sinister and he was calm about the upcoming situation.

"Yes, Lord Vladimir, we are fully prepared for any invaders. Even the seven deadly sins will be unable to defeat us." said a random knight.

"I fully expect the sins to break down the walls and you are incorrect on your previous statement. There are not seven deadly sins there are six and we will not defeat them, we will crush them with all our might." Vladimir replied, his true colours revealed and his plan set in motions.

Will the sins be able to outwit the master of strategy and will they complete their mission before Escanor transforms?

Next chapter the assault on the stronghold begins and as the Pride of both groups of knights clash a great battle will commence.

Time until sunrise: 2:30 hours.


	5. The Stronghold vs The Seven Deadly Sins

Walking towards the stronghold, the sin of Gluttony floated towards Escanor with a suspicious smile. She began asking him more questions, specifically how he ended up at the camp and if he was enjoying himself. She also mentioned that she had heard his name, just as King did, being spread around as a horrible story; one where a single man destroyed kingdoms for trivial reasons. He stopped, looking into the night sky.

* * *

" _The story is true; I'm nothing more than a monster. But, you do not need to worry about me, as long as the mission is over before the sun rises._ " he said this with a depressed tone and Merlin decided to delve deeper into his character.

" _What exactly happens to you when the sun rises?_ " she asked. Curiosity was beginning to best her as she had now met a man more interesting than the other sins. She immediately took a liking to Escanor, but, did not realize what the future had in store for them.

" _I… would rather not talk about my past, I have done so many horrible things and it's all been done against my will. I never wanted to be cursed, but, I have been since birth. Nobody has ever explained to me why I was born like this; they just isolated me… and treated me like an animal. Sooner or later that is what I became. As the sun rises so too does my power and with it my other half takes over. A man bound to his own set of rules._ " he explained, the topic depressed him greatly.

" _That's interesting, but, each member of the sins has committed a grave sin. We are not strangers to regret or despair._ " She said attempting to comfort him.

" _That's where you're wrong; you're not like me at all. I may be kind now, but, you have not seen me when I change. I don't remember why i do things or what purpose it served. The only things i remember are the burning buildings and ransacked kingdoms, the screams of the innocent and the guilty in perfect harmony with each other. My other half enjoys the sound, but, to me it sounds like a slaughter._ " He said, trembling at the thought of the lives he had taken, he felt horrible that he could do anything to stop himself from committing such acts of cruelty, but they were no where near a definitive sin.

Escanor's true nature had been revealed to Merlin. He was a shy man, who sought solitude for the safety of others. He truly was a kind, selfless, man. He put the lives of others before his own to redeem the ones he had taken and although it did not seem like much to him, he had taken away all his freedom and the joy he could have felt was slowly drowned out by the isolation. She felt sorry for him, something she had never had any problems with before. This man was a saint, burdened by a curse that made him the devil; a fallen angel of sorts.

" _You seem like a kind man, if you truly feel that way then perhaps we can organize a place for you in the kingdom of Liones._ " She stated, looking at him with a smile that radiated understanding and compassion. He was surprised to see her act this way and his respect for her would increase throughout the night.

" _Thank you, but, you honestly don't want me around… whenever I get imprisoned I break out the following morning. Unless you have a barrier that I cannot break there is no point putting me in a cell._ " He replied, thankful that she took the time to consider his feelings, but, still stuck in his depravity.

" _We can worry about that after the mission… speaking of which the stronghold is across this bridge._ " She responded quickly, focusing on the task at hand, but, not before turning around and smiling at Escanor. He felt a warm sensation run through his body, it was a welcomed feeling that he would experience more than once that night.

" _Okay everyone, get into your positions. We're going to bring down the stronghold and beat up the guys inside._ " Declared the captain; confident as usual.

" _YEAH!_ " Everyone else responded optimistically. Despite the odds stacked against them. Diane pick up a large rock, Ban, King and Meliodas prepared to dash towards the entrance. Gowther remained as a second party with Merlin and Escanor who use the former as a shield whilst steadily making their way across the bridge. The plan was simple; in fact the plan was so simple a child could have come up with it. Escanor's eyes focused on Meliodas… it was clearly his strategy and to do something so simple against a master tactician was reckless. He had no idea what awaited them inside, neither did the other sins. But, all they could was breakdown the gate and breakthrough their siege equipment. Meliodas dropped his hand, signalling the beginning of their plan. Thus the battle began and the climax of the night was upon the sins.

Diane placed the boulder in front of her on the great stone bridge and pushed it, much faster than the other sins could manage. Ban, King and Meliodas used the boulder as a shield and ran behind, followed by Gowther, Merlin and Escanor. As they kept pushing the boulder they were hit with a large volley of arrows and bolts from the siege engines. The boulder absorbed most of the blows, but, some of the arrows hit Ban, straight through his chest and his eye. He simply took out the arrows and kept moving, smiling as he ran… clearly hoping for some action.

" _What the hell are you?_ " Escanor asked, surprised that he managed to survive.

" _I'm immortal dumbass._ " He replied. Surely that made the strategy more efficient, if one of the members was immortal. This reassured Escanor that perhaps Ban would prove to be more useful that he previously thought. Because of his earlier encounter with Ban, he could only picture him as an adequate meat shield. Escanor was not the type of person to hold a grudge, but, this time was different, he really did not like Ban.

" _Keep pushing Diane, we are almost there._ " yelled the captain. The strategy was going much better than expected and considering the amount of time they had left, Escanor was relieved that they would be finished before he changed. Throughout his small time with the sins he felt happy around them, and he found himself wanting to stay and befriend all of them, except Ban the immortal asshole.

They finally reach the gate and smashed straight through it. They all dispersed to different sections of the stronghold and began defeating all the holy knights. Diane swung Gideon at the ground using her ability "Creation" to smash through multiple enemies and break down the rest of the walls. Ban flew through them all using Courechouse, decapitating the knights as he passed by. Meliodas found himself cornered by many knights using magical attacks; he smiled and repelled them all with "Full counter". Gowther used his ability "invasion" to gather information about their plan, to no avail, whilst King, Merlin and Escanor walked into the keep hoping to draw out the enemy leader and his elite knights. King found himself trapped in a room with around 50 knights and spared no expense using Chastifol's form 5 "increase" to mow them all down quickly and efficiently. Merlin would venture down a separate path to the stronghold's archives and Escanor would find himself on his own.

In his distressed state he went looking for Merlin and King. He had no idea where he was going, but, he knew he was in trouble if someone strong appeared to fight him. He searched around the 1st and 2nd floors on the keep. It could not be this difficult to find someone in a place overrun with knights, but, he found himself isolated and running in circles. He crept up another flight of stairs. He wanted to remain undetected and moved cautiously, as was his true nature to avoid being reckless, and continue his good fortune of not meeting enemies. He approached a large black door and assuming it was the throne room, decided to sneak inside. He opened the door carefully, not the faintest creek from the floorboards could be heard and walk through into the grand space. He noticed 4 elite knights and Vladimir himself looking outside the window upon the massacre the sins were delivering to the knights.

" _Soon our plan will be set in motion and the sins will be annihilated, they will never expect their fates to be sealed away in those boxes._ " He said manically. He gave each one of his knights those boxes containing what they needed to take down their designated sin. Noticing this, Escanor took a few steps back to elongate the distance between him and the knights. This was a reckless decision as he bumped into the large black door and heard it slam shut.

 ***BANG***

First he stepped on a branch and now this. He was beginning to think karma had decided to be a huge bitch today. He had clearly blown his cover with this display and proceeded to open the door and run as fast as he could. The knights found it impossible to catch him, their armor was weighing them down, but, Escanor's speed was simply too great. Despite his weak and frail looking appearance his legs were surprisingly strong and the speed at which he could move rivaled King's flying speed, when he was serious. What he lacked in power, he made up for in speed. He flew down to the first floor and found himself outside; 2 of the elite knights had simply jumped from the windows and were attacking Diane and Gowther. Meanwhile King and Merlin were confronted by the last 2.

* * *

Time before sunrise: 1:30 hours


	6. Diane vs Yama

The situation looked hopeful for the sins. The knights that appeared before them were no apparent threat. The gap between their strengths was simply overwhelming. The master tactician knew that he would suffer heavy losses if the sins attacked the stronghold, yet, he applied his strategy none the less. His elite knights had fairly high power levels, in comparison to the knights of Liones, and were more than capable of completing the tasks their leader had assigned to them. It was also mentioned, back in Liones, that Vladimir could fight the great holy knight, Zaratras, on equal terms. The sins would be his toughest opponent in his career as a tactician, but, it was nothing he was not prepared for. Upon sending his knights to attack the sins, he followed Escanor down the stairs, walking at a steady pace; seeing no reason to rush. He revealed himself to be a calm man by nature, but, his expression upon facing Escanor was different... He was surprised to see someone else with the sins and he was not pleased.

* * *

" _Who are you and what business do you have here?_ " He demanded. He was clearly angered by this unforeseen event in his plan and felt insulted at the very existence of Escanor. His pride was on the line and his strategies were his embodiment of it. To be ruined by a single man would be disgraceful.

"I'm…E-E-E-Escanor and I'm h-h-h-here to stop you from doing any m-m-m-more harm" he said, shivering in his boots. He could not compete with Vladimir in a bout of strength, although he could run away. But, where would he go? He was trapped between an angry man and a group of knights.

"I'm going to make you regret coming here, boy." Vladimir declared, before punching Escanor in the gut and sending him flying through the air. Escanor's luck was once again tested and karma had decided to cut him some slack. Escanor missed the stone bridge; falling into the river below and was washed away with the current. The rest of the sins noticed this and began defeating more of the knights that supported their enemy.

"ESCANOR!" Diane cried out, clearly worrying more about him than herself. She rushed over to the bridge and jumped, landing on the ground below, searching desperately for her friend. This was a foolish mistake as she encountered one of Vladimir's elite knights.

"Greetings, Serpent's sin of Envy, I have been tasked with disposing of you on behalf of Lord Vladimir. My name is Yama, a former diamond rank holy of Camelot ,with a power level of 2543." Her manner of speaking was fairly polite and it seemed she was confident in her ability to win, based on her giving Diane more information than necessary. The other elite knights would share this trend as they encountered their designated sin.

"I don't care what your name is, get out of my way or I'll crush you." Diane said, more concerned with saving Escanor than fighting her opponent. She had been told recently that trying to protect your comrades would result in her own death, but she had little care for those words at this time. She followed the stream, until she reached a large waterfall that dropped into a lake. She was followed by Yama who was considerably angrier than she first appeared, she hated being ignored and had already imagined how painful the following experience would be.

"Fight me, you big brute of a woman or are you a coward?" she asked, clearly knowing how to get Diane's attention. She placed the box that Vladimir had entrusted to her and what happened next was incredibly predictable.

"What was that? A brute! HOW DARE YOU!" Diane yelled, making sure she was heard by everyone in the stronghold. This was part of Vladimir's plan and Yama had followed it perfectly. Among the sins Diane had the most obvious weaknesses being her short temper towards comments on her size and weight, her care for her comrades and her fear of bugs. She raised Gideon into the air and swung it down on top of Yama.

 ***CRASH***

Yama dodged the attack moments before it made contact. The impact of the swing created cracks across the small valley, the stream was located in. Having seen the extent of Diane's strength she realized she could not defeat her easily, without using the contents of the box.

Smiling manically at the giantess's tantrum she opened the box to reveal a swarm of sonic cicadas. They were harmless under normal circumstances, but, they were extremely sensitive to sound, causing them to target Diane and attack her. Diane immediately regretted yelling so loudly and began crying in fear, completely defenseless against them. They began biting her repeatedly and caused her to retreat. She had been bitten all over her body and was pleading for her captain to save her.

Yama did not pity the giantess, in fact she began her onslaught of attacks with her ability "Breeze", which was a wind based magic that used high pressured wind to slash through opponents like a sword. Diane had been covered in wounds and between Yama and the cicadas she had been injured beyond the point she could handle. As a desperate attempt to save her life and defeat her enemy she swung Gideon violently in all directions, crashing into the surrounding mountains and the ground beneath her. A couple of swings to the ground and both of them felt a sinking feeling. The mountains began to collapse and the ground beneath them began to tip, the underground supports of the ledge breaking under the sheer amount of force Diane had applied to her swings. Yama jumped back and she watched the ledge crumble under Diane's feet where she would fall into the lake below. Yama smiled as she completed her mission to dispose of the sin of Envy. She left the cicadas to drown in the lake and left Diane's body washed up on the shore. The sin of Envy had been completely overwhelmed, cursing her fear of bugs that caused her to lose the fight.

A few meters away from Diane, Escanor had washed ashore. He was still spewing blood after the punch he took and realized Diane needed help. Their current location was close to the clearing where he had met Ban and he rushed over to his backpack. He carried it over to Diane and began applying a strange ointment on her wounds. Her wounds would stop bleeding and began to close immediately; the ointment seemed to have magical properties. In truth, Escanor had learned how to help people to account for the amount of pain he had caused. He could end the suffering of another and he could save a life, one of his better decisions in life. The ointment was a mixture of ingredients that when applied to blood would react and seal the wound shut. He managed to stop the bleeding before Diane lost consciousness and heard her speak a few words.

"Escanor, what happened?" muttered a weakened Diane, who was clearly still suffering from her wounds. She was tormented by what had just occurred. Vladimir's strategy for taking her down was full proof and she could not deny that. She stood no chance against a barrage of attacks and an army of bugs.

"Hold still… I need to inject this into you, sonic cicadas are poisonous and if not treated quickly you'll get a severe headache and eventually the blood lose will get to you." He said, serious and extremely confident about his ability to save Diane. Was this the same Escanor as before?

"What happened to you? You're so different." She asked, puzzled by the sudden change of personality.

"Nothing has changed… I'm still me; I just don't want to lose my precious friend. Now hold still and let me give you the antidote."

"Thank you…Escanor" said Diane, tears streaming down her face. She was thankful that he came to help her. She quickly overcame her traumatic experience simply based on how happy she was that her friend came to her rescue.

"Let's get back to the castle; the others are going to need our help" he said, deliberately trying to comfort Diane. Diane stood up, Gideon in hand and picked up Escanor.

"Yeah… I need to put that woman in her place. She doesn't have any more bugs to use against me now, so it's time for some payback." She replied.

* * *

Time before sunrise: 1 hour


	7. Gowther vs Asher

Diane and Escanor hurried back to the stronghold, taking the long way around, due to the collapsed ledge. Meanwhile Gowther, who had been taking advantage of the situation and altering people's memories to understand more about emotions, was confronted with another of the elites.

* * *

" _I am Asher and I am here to take your life, Goat's sin of Lust. For your information I am a former platinum rank holy knight of Camelot and my power level is approximately 2319._ " He said. He thought highly of himself, although his way of speaking was awfully similar to Gowther's.

" _Thank you for providing me with information, wha ha ha ha_ " Gowther replied. This caught Asher off guard as he stared blankly at the sin of Lust. He did not know what to do… except get rid of him as fast as possible.

" _Alright, I will take you down faster than you can eat a bowl of soup_ " he declared, before striking a very feminine pose. To his surprise Gowther was applauding at his pose. It would seem the weird ones of the group had come into contact with each other.

" _Don't you drink soup, not eat it?_ " Gowther corrected. The elite knight began crying tears as he realized the error in his statement. He always took great pride in his wordplay and to be corrected was so shameful. This man may have beaten him with words, but he still had a few more tricks up his sleeves.

" _Watch as i perform the greatest pose in my arsenal_ " he said in a charming voice. He raise both his arms to the sky, lifted his right leg off of the ground and lent back as far as he could.

" _Witness the incredible aura of my 'Victory pose'!_ " he yelled, Gowther seemingly disinterested with the pose, simply decided to applaud again. Asher was enraged that he did not find his victory pose noteworthy and sublime. No matter, he knew what he needed to do to defeat his opponent, but, before he could gather his thoughts he heard Gowther speak.

" _Allow me to show you… my ultimate pose_ " Gowther stated as he turned his right hand into a peace sign, leaned his body to the right, his left arm stretched out and firmly against his body and for the finishing blow he put the sign over his eye. The amazing power of his pose forced Asher to praise him, even so he did not hesitate to use the box bestowed upon him by the great lord Vladimir. He opened the leather box and within it was Gowther's worst nightmare. A stack of books he had never read.

 _"May I read them?"_ Gowther asked politely.

 _"Of course you can"_ replied Asher, holding his face in his hands to appear cuter and hide the humiliation he had already suffered; awaiting the moment Gowther became entranced with the books to attack him without remorse. Gowther had read half of the first book and was completely engulfed in the story. Asher decided this would be the perfect time to use his power "Shatter" to send Gowther and his armor flying. Shatter was an ability that focused all the power the user built up into a designated location. With it he could easily defeat a giant in a contest of strength and would use his signature move on Gowther.

 _"Asher Punch"_ he yelled, creating an incredible amount of force upon impact.

Gowther's body became nothing more than a rag doll and was sent flying through the sky. Upon returning to the earth, Gowther made an incredibly large crater and his armor was broken in several different places. The left side of his armor was cracked all over and the left horn of his helmet had been snapped in half. He analyzed the distance he had been punched and estimated it to be 48 miles away from the stronghold. He decided to return to the seven deadly sins at the stronghold and began his long walk back towards the Varbylos Stronghold.

* * *

Time until sunrise: 50 minutes


	8. Ban and King vs the Elites

In the Stronghold's courtyard Meliodas and Ban were killing an exceedingly high number of knights. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, almost as if they had turned the mission into a game. The amount of enemy corpses began to pile up and before long they found it difficult to move around. Vladimir had set his eyes on the captain of the sins and intended to defeat him in single combat to prove he was greater than any of the sins. Meliodas turned to face him, but, Ban had found an equally worse opponent. After defeating Diane and Gowther, Asher and Yama returned to the keep and decided to fight the immortal man. They use their abilities to slice Ban to shreds and to their amazement he simply healed the wounds and kept fighting. They were not prepared to face Ban in single combat, but, they could outwit him easily. Their aim was simple and with enough time they remove the sin of Greed and help their general face the captain of the sins.

* * *

 **Ban's fight:**

In response to Ban's speed they both acquired halberds to fend him off. They blocked his attacks from all directions; he circled them, continuing to look for opportunities, until his Greed got the better of him. He had a vicious idea in mind that would send his enemies running and make them much easier to deal with.

" _Physical Hunt_ " he said. After that point he slowly began to drain Asher and Yama of their energy; however they had already concluded they could not defeat Ban and his immortality, their counter measure was simple. When he began draining their strength Yama used her ability "Breeze" to slice Ban to pieces once more.

" _Serenade of Wind_ " she cried, creating gusts of wind and firing them all at the same target, Ban. He smiled, he had become quite an arrogant man after becoming immortal, thinking he could withstand any blow from anyone, even the captain. He simply allowed himself to be hurled in the air and ripped to shreds. When his body finished recovering he swung his sacred treasure around him multiple times, killing more of the enemy soldiers and sending both his opponents flying. Asher recovered quickly and leapt into the air.

" _Banishing kill_ " Ban muttered as he swung Courechouse at his enemy with radiating glee.

" _Hurricane Barrier_ " yelled out Yama, who blocked Ban's attack. Unlike the sins, these knights excelled at teamwork and had been working together for years. Although Ban had beaten them back many times they kept pursuing their goal until saw their opening.

" _Almighty Elbow Drop_ " declared Asher, grinding his teeth as he smashed Ban's body into the Keep's open iron door.

* **BADOOM** *

" _Oh… you guys are actually pretty good. But, you can't kill me I'm immor…_ " Ban said in a mocking tone, before he was interrupted by a flurry of halberds thrown from both Asher and Yama. After the attack, he realised he was pinned to the door by a total of 12 Halberds and each one was restricting his movements. Despite being immortal he still felt the pain of being impaled, although nothing could ever compared to the pain he felt 4 years ago in the fairy King's forest.

The elite knights had bested 3 of the sins collectively and they had now turned their attention to the fight between Meliodas and Vladimir. The latter of the 2 refused to use his ability "torrent" considering Meliodas's ability and he warned his knights to remain vigilant and not to interfere.

" _…Crap_ " he said before gazing at his captain's fight with interest. Meliodas and Vladimir were equally matched in skill; they had both trained well in the art of swordplay and were continuously clashing their swords together. Vladimir had an idea of how to eliminate Meliodas, but, he wished to fight him fairly before resorting to such tactics. He wanted to see if the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins was accurately portrayed in the stories he had heard. The clashing of blades was soon interrupted by a loud noise on the second floor.

 _* **CRASH** *_

The wall had been blow apart and King was sent flying out of it. His was Yami, a former diamond rank holy knight and twin brother to Yama. His power level was around 2600 and he was the most dangerous of the elites. His ability was called "DeathVice", a form of death magic that rejects magical particles. It is especially effective at destroying barriers and breaking enchanted items, such as Chastifol. King's Sacred Treasure had been hit multiple times by this ability, but, Chastifol was sturdy and kept regenerating.

* * *

 **King's fight:**

The box containing King's weakness was lying open on the floor. Within the box was a white flower with a yellow centre. The same kind he had used to kill Helebram and remove Diane's memories of him. He did not know how Vladimir knew this, but he had long since justified his actions and, although he felt guilty for killing his best friend, he refused to let it bother him, to no avail. The reminder of his past haunted him and made his mind wander, back to the times where he was at the fairy king's forest with his sister. Daydreaming in a battle held grave consequences for him. Not only had been hit multiple times by Yami, he had also taken several blows from his ability. King was injured, but, stood strong. He refused to let himself lose to this man, he had to defeat him and help Diane. Yami was a fairly lazy man as well... He hated exerting himself and preferred to be ignored by people, the complete opposite of his sister.

"Hollow Hole" Yami muttered, a white vortex opened up in front of him and he fired it at King, the latter of which dodged the attack and noticed its effect on a few birds flying passing by. Upon contact they had disintegrated. He realized this man had two types of attacks, 'dark' attacks that caused great damage and 'hollow' attacks that killed anything they touched. This man was truly dangerous, but, King had to defeat him. If he lost to this man, Diane and the rest of them would be next.

"Form 5, increase; Bumblebee" king declared his attack, but it was easily avoided by Yami and he came closer to deliver a fatal blow.

"Hollow grasp" he mumbled. King managed to dodge the attack, but, he cornered himself against the wall. He quickly darted out of the opening that was created moments ago and counterattacked with everything he had.

"Form 4, Sunflower" king cried out. His sacred treasure transformed into a giant sunflower and blasted Yami with a beam of light. Yami's body could not take the sheer amount of magical energy King exerted into his attack and was eventually obliterated. King had defeated his enemy, but before he could rescue the others, he collapsed of exhaustion.

* * *

 **Merlin's fight:**

Deep in the archives of the keep Merlin searched for things she did not already possess. She found a few books on human anatomy and teleported them back to her library in Liones. She was quite fond of collecting things and she was never satisfied until she had everything she could grasp, in that collection. Her gluttonous personality was being portrayed and she seemed to have no quarrel showcasing it to her opponent.

"What is the reason you have no attacked me yet, or are you just being polite?" she asked.

"My name is Tiffany and I will be your opponent Boar's sin of Gluttony. I am a" she continued, but, was interrupted by Merlin.

"A former diamond rank holy knight, of Camelot, whose power level is at 2729 at your ability is called 'Restrict', am I right?" she asked, knowing that she was right and gradually increasing the size of her smile.

"You seem to have done your research on me, I suppose you must think of me as a threat if you went through all the trouble" she replied, clearly believing she was the most talented of the 4 knights.

"No… you lack the physical strength and speed to compete with the other knights and you are a sorceress, like me. If I think of one of you as a threat, that would be your leader. You are honestly not worth my time, but, I will fight you if you wish." Merlin stated. She had no reason to fight her, other than the mission being to eliminate them all. She believed that someone else could do that for her later.

"You just crossed the line, bitch. I'm gonna make you regret being born, for my darling Vladimir." This was the last thing Tiffany said before lunging at Merlin. She had her magic ready and they began their battle.

* * *

Time until sunrise: 45 minutes


	9. Merlin vs Tiffany

Merlin began her bought with Tiffany by teleporting them both to the throne room. As she continued to torment Tiffany, she began to assess the situation outside. She could only see Meliodas fighting against Vladimir; however, she used her location magic to find out where the other sins had gone. Ban was stuck to the front door, King was exhausted and lying in a pile of rubble on the second floor, Gowther was now 18 miles away from the stronghold; he was moving quickly for a man his size and lastly Diane and Escanor were following the stream that would lead them to the bridge, although this would take them awhile. After careful consideration, she decided that her fight with Tiffany would have to serve as a distraction so that the other sins could return and show the elites how strong they really were.

* * *

" _Elemental Discharge_ " exclaimed Tiffany, sending fire, ice and lighting attacks at Merlin.

" _Magical Barrier_ " Merlin responded with a magical shield that blocked incoming magic of a certain level.

" _If magic won't work, then I'll just use force._ " She yelled out, as she bolted towards Merlin, preparing to launch a fairly destructive punch.

"It won't if you yell what you are going to do" Merlin replied.

" _Perfect Cube_ " Merlin created a barrier similar to her previous, this time forming a cube shape around her and allowing Tiffany to punch it. Her punch landed onto the cube and the punch was immediately repelled back into her face, sending her flying through a series of columns.

 ***CRASH* *CRASH* *CRASH***

She rose from the rubble, frustrated at the sin of Gluttony.

" _Reversion_ " she cried out. Merlin had removed her 'Perfect cube' and immediately understood what her opponent's ability did. Merlin felt a large amount of pressure on her left cheek and soon after was also sent flying through a series of columns.

 ***CRASH* *CRASH* *CRASH***

Looking at Tiffany's face, she knew what was happening. Her ability "Reversal" had the ability to reverse the damage she had taken and transfer the pain to her opponent. However, she seemed to be slightly exhausted after her little display, meaning her ability consumes large amounts of energy in order to activate. Merlin needed a way to defeat Tiffany in a single blow, as her body could not take much more damage. Her leg was already aching and she found it hard to walk. She began to levitate and, although that helped, the pain did not subside.

" _Do you regret calling me a waste of time now? I'm sure Vladimir's wall will look amazing with all your heads on it._ " She chuckled manically.

" _No, you truly are a waste of my time. Your ability is so simple I was able to see right through it on my first attempt. If that is the best you can do, then your chances of defeating me have just slipped._ " Merlin replied, confident that she could best her opponent. There was something on Merlin's mind though… the other elites were carrying a box. Why was she not using her box? Merlin pushed the thought aside and continued to attack her opponent relentlessly with her magic.

" _Elemental discharge_ " Tiffany cried out. It would seem this was her only offensive spell. Merlin on the other hand had plenty.

" _Magical barrier_ " She blocked the attack again"

" _Dark smog_ " Merlin created a thick smokescreen, covering the part of the room that Tiffany was in.

" _Flame pillars_ " She continued. As the name would suggest, Merlin created pillars of fire to attack Tiffany. Merlin had thought a few steps ahead of her opponent, as her dark smog was incredibly flammable.

 ***KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!***

The throne room had been completely demolished, Merlin unharmed thanks to her magical barrier. Tiffany was lying under a pile of rubble with horrible burn marks across her body; it was safe to assume she was mortally injured or dead. She had dealt with her enemy in a flashy manner and she returned down to the second floor to wake up King. Through the hole on the second floor she saw the fight between Meliodas and Vladimir. Vladimir had resorted to using his ability indirectly to attack Meliodas. He seemed unfazed, but, if Vladimir was a weak opponent the captain would not have wasted this much time fighting him. Thus continued their battle, but soon, the team would reunite once again.

* * *

Time until sunrise: 30 minutes


	10. Revenge is Sweet

Merlin had managed to awaken King and the two of them collected themselves. Their injuries made them much slower and weaker than usual; taking out two of Vladimir's elites was quite tiring. With that being said, Asher and Yama had noticed their comrades had fallen and decided to finish the remaining sins. They played a game of rock, paper, scissors and they decided that Asher would fight King and Yama would take Merlin. The likelihood of the sins defeating 2 of the elites in one day was low and they desperately needed assistance. Meanwhile there was another battle taking place in the courtyard.

The battle between Meliodas and Vladimir was fierce. They exchanged blows, parried attacks, blocked any punches that came their way and managed to avoid any magical attacks their opponent could conjure. They were examining their opponent's strength and had no intent on using their full power until absolutely necessary. Meliodas's experience at Danafor caused him to flinch at the thought of using his demon powers. He knew that, in front of the sins, he could not release this power unless he had no choice. Vladimir had heard rumors of his sin and believed that as long as one of his comrades was alive he would not fight him seriously. It was the reason that he punched Escanor into the river… it was surprising that he survived the punch, and it was very surprising that he was capable of moving afterwards. Vladimir had weakened his punch, leaving Escanor alive and using his life to pressure Meliodas into containing his power.

* * *

Merlin and King were being beaten quite badly, their magical power was low and they had no strength left to battle. Asher had been wailing on King with a flurry of punches and Yama had been cutting Merlin's magical barriers to pieces, leaving her defenseless.

" _Oxygen bomb_ " Yama called out, as she launched a strange orb of compressed wind at Merlin. It burst upon contact with the ground.

* **Pop** *

Her attack seemed to do nothing, but, Merlin was not one to take chances. Hoping to dodge the attack she teleported outside. Her magical power, as it was, took her into the nearby forest at the other end of the stream. Yama knew she could not run far and simply threw more of her bombs into the forest. Eventually one of them would get close to Merlin's position…

* **POP** *

Merlin turned around startled at the sound and began to run. She fell over because of the damage she suffered earlier and watched as the dark material began to surround her. She began coughing up blood and would eventually lean on a small tree.

" _My oxygen bombs manipulate the air in the atmosphere causing all the oxygen to compress into a gust of wind, once it dissolves into the air the carbon dioxide takes over and begins to poison any living organisms around_ " she cackled, clearly proud of herself for taking out two sins.

" _I won't let you suffer, I will kill you with my own two han…_ " she said before being abruptly interrupted.

" _Boulder Bash_ " yelled a familiar voice. Yama was pelted into the side of a mountain. She removed herself from her situation and gazed at her next opponent startled and lost for words.

" _I killed you… how are you alive?_ " she yelled. She seemed scared now that the Giantess was no longer cowering in fear.

" _I helped her out._ " said Escanor, waving at the knight with a cheeky grin on his face. Diane picked him up and placed him with Merlin so that he could help her out.

 _"Looking for more Giant girl?_ " asked Yama.

" _No… I intend to finish this… I won't let bugs stop me from protecting the people I care about._ " Diane yelled out.

" _Ground Gladius"_ she screamed as she slammed Gideon to the ground. An earthen pillar rose from the ground and hit the arrogant knight. She was sent flying before she had time to process what had happened and she would land directly on the tip of the blade. Yama had not only been defeated effortlessly by Diane, she was dying. This was Diane's true power; the power to protect her friends.

Diane returned to Merlin and Escanor. She saw that Merlin was badly beaten and began worrying about the captain and King. She always felt safe around King, but, she never knew why. Meanwhile Escanor's treatment of Merlin called for some unusual methods.

Escanor had no other choice, but, to cleanse her system of Carbon dioxide and give her some pure oxygen. He picked her up and carried her over to a safe location where Merlin's breathing became stable and she gave him her usual smile.

" _Thank you_ " she said, before coughing up some blood. Escanor proceeded to bandage up her wounds and give her the same ointment he used on Diane. With a quick gestured sent over to Diane, the giant looked away. He turned back to Merlin and pulled her close to him. She became flustered with what he was doing.

" _The carbon dioxide is still in your body, letting it stay there will cause it to damage your lungs._ " He said with a concerned face.

" _How do you plan on removing it then_ " she asked, concerned with her safety. However her concern turned to embarrassment as Escanor blushed and told her.

" _I have to perform mouth to mouth, it will help your lungs balance out the two separate components_." he told her as his face grew bright red. He was clearly uncomfortable, but, he needed to do it. So he pressed his lips on Merlin's and began performing his duty as a doctor. Upon finishing his task, he looked at her. She was blushing, more than he was and in that split second her expression turned from shock to embarrassment.

" _Do not tell anyone about this, please._ " She pleaded, as she did not want anyone to know of this incident. Diane had been looking out the side of her vision and saw the whole thing happen.

She came up to Escanor and asked him " _Did you really have to do that?_ "

" _Yes, it was necessary, she would have died otherwise. Don't get any wrong ideas… I…I don't like Merlin or anything…_ " he stopped and simply began to blush instead. This feeling was wonderful and it filled his body with joy. This is what it meant to be in love, but, the sins were still in trouble. Diane saw the top of the keep explode and saw the last of the elite knights pummeling King.

" _Leave King alone you jerk_ " she yelled. Escanor put his hand on Diane's and simply said one thing.

" _Throw me_ " she looked at him blankly.

" _Throw you, why?_ " she questioned, knowing that if she did he would not survive.

" _Throw me as gently as you can to hit that guy whose hurting King, that's the only way we are going to stop it from here._ " he explained, whilst picking up a Yama's chest plate.

" _Ok, but, if you get hurt…_ " she complained

" _I'll treat it later_ " he reassured her. She picked him up and angled her arm at the best direction. She threw him as softly as she could whilst still covering the distance. He placed the chest plate in front of him and braced for impact.

 ***BANG***

He hit Asher right in the gut and kept flying through. Escanor stood up unharmed, to his surprise, and stared at King with a smile.

" _Hey King, your welcome"_ he said. Not noticing that Asher had not been defeated by his "attack".

" _You dare hit me when I'm attacking someone else, how disgraceful._ " He exploded, throwing a tantrum on the floor.

 _"King, you might want to go to Diane and Merlin. They are in the forest and the have medicine in my backpack, you should take some and heal your wounds._ " He said, more worried about King than his fight with Asher.

" _What about you?_ " King asked questioning Escanor logic.

" _I feel much better than I did before, it must nearly be morning._ " He said, cracking his neck.

* * *

Time until sunrise: 5 minutes ;)


	11. Power vs Preparation

Meliodas and Vladimir had been fighting each other for most of the night. They had sensed the outcome of each individual fight and Vladimir began getting flustered, whilst Meliodas smiled. They both knew their battle was the last and they needed to finish it with everything they had.

* * *

Meliodas swung around Vladimir, aiming for the back of his leg to strike. Vladimir blocked the attack and kicked Meliodas into the iron door.

" _Get serious, captain, don't let him beat you up so badly._ " sighed the sin of Greed, who nobody had thought to free and was getting rather bored.

" _Don't tell me things I already know you idiot_ " Meliodas protested as he continued his fight.

A continuous onslaught of blocks, parries and eventually magic would lead them into the final moment of the fight, there was a fair bot of distance between Meliodas and the other sins, so he decided to let loose his power. This was what Vladimir had been waiting for. Meliodas charged head strong with his "Divine slayer" ready. He ran quickly towards his target and swung his sword at his enemy. It connected and Vladimir was sent flying.

 ***CLING* *BOOOOOM***

" _Gotcha_ " Meliodas declared, without realizing what had happened.

" _No, it is I would have got you_ " corrected Vladimir as he hit Meliodas. The latter was sent flying the entire length of the bridge, smashing into several rocks and breaking down a mountain. This was Vladimir's true strength and his ability "Torrent". He had used a technique called "Water reflects" which made another copy of him to distract his opponents, whilst the real one waited for his opportunity to strike. Due to Meliodas's weakened defenses when using "Divine Slayer" he was hit much harder than usual. Had he been at full strength, he would have hit the bridge, but, counterattacked immediately. Vladimir had played his cards right and was eager to shout out to the world.

" _I am Vladimir and I have defeated the seven deadly sins_ " he yelled laughing manically.

" _Hey dumb-ass, there are only six of us… the description of the seventh member is too vague and we cannot find anyone who fits the description with a high enough power level_ " Ban exclaimed.

Vladimir's face turned to anger. Then who was the last person with them? If he was not the seventh member then he pelted an innocent man across a bridge, just to prove a point. He did not allow Ban's words to diminish his position and he certainly did not want to deal with another sin. The fight with Meliodas had taken its toll, but, he had luckily not used the special ingredient in his own box. He smiled and felt more accomplished than the rest of his knights, although Asher was still alive which was good.

He walked across the bridge towards the unconscious captain of the seven deadly sins. He prepared his sword for a swift finishing blow until he sensed something he could only describe as impossible.

 ***BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM***

Without any warning the entire Varbylos Stronghold exploded into a deformed ruin. The ceiling was blown to pieces, the walls had melted and all the bodies within the area had turned to Ash. Vladimir turned to see the cause of this explosion. A man wearing a white shirt and pants that fit him perfectly was holding Asher by the head, or at least what was left of him. The remains of the knight were tossed aside and the man began to move towards their leader. Vladimir's expression was clear; he wasn't just scared he was petrified. Not a single one of the sins had shown to be that powerful and he certainly did not want to find out. Taking his sword away from Meliodas he aimed it at the man who stood before him on the bridge, the two of them staring at each other as the sun began to rise in the sky. The light just barely breaching the horizon began to unveil the face of this mysterious man.

" _Who are you?_ " asked Vladimir

 _"Flowers blooming along the streams"_

 _"Battlefields filled with bloods and screams"_

 _"The innocents rest easy in their homes"_

 _"The guilty are slaughtered when regret is not shown"_

 _"To remove your guilt you must first fall to the floor"_

 _"Apologize and confess to me, lord Escanor"_

" _A poem?_ " Vladimir stated… why did he tell me a poem?

Vladimir lost all hope as the man he had pushed aside so easily stood before him. The pressure that emitted from Escanor's body left Vladimir in a state of panic. Never had he faced something with this much power and he was scared out of his mind. He remembered that he had his box, but, would it truly work against this man? He removed the lid and drank from a vile he had placed within the box.

" _This is Royal Resin; it comes from the purest lake in the world… for a given amount of time it makes any man three times stronger. There is no way you can defeat me now_ " He stated as he began to laugh maniacally. Escanor stared at him with disgust.

" _You defeat Meliodas with your own strength, yet you refuse to fight me unless you know you can win? It truly is pitiful that you should choose this path. You went through all the trouble of procuring that bottle, but, it won't save you against me. I am an existence like no other in this world, lord Escanor, and I will not be defeated by some weak general that believes needs to increase his power, just because he wet himself._ " He said, before concluding his statement with an impressive death stare.

" _You will beg for forgiveness before I am done with you, I promise you that._ "


	12. The Pride and Folly of Mankind

Upon the explosion of the Varbylos Stronghold, Vladimir has powered himself up with Royal resin, a relatively rare extract from the divine tree. The divine tree is located at the center of the Divine Lake, there are also many rumors surrounding this lake. The Royal resin is the only confirmed rumor and thus many people seeking superior fighting power travel to the Divine Lake to gather some.

Upon seeing the battle commence with his own eyes, Meliodas was in disbelief at how strong Vladimir had become. The Royal resin was extremely effective and gave Vladimir a power level of 9063. Meliodas knew if he was serious his power level would exceed 10000 however he had to make sure the others were safe first. Despite the situation the captain of the seven deadly sins remained calm; he was not concerned with Vladimir's ability or power level. He was concerned with Escanor.

Escanor had destroyed the Varbylos Stronghold effortlessly, a sudden surge of his power upon the activation of "Sunshine". The difference in power between Escanor and Vladimir was so great that the fight between them would have favored Escanor to kill Vladimir with a single punch. When the royal resin was used Escanor was a little surprised, but, overall he was disappointed that Vladimir did not try and win with his own strength. Vladimir's confidence returned, but, Escanor was unwilling to fight. His intent was to intimidate Vladimir and force him to plead for mercy, that way he would not have to kill him.

* * *

The morning had only just begun and Escanor's body was half way between his strongest and weakest form. He could control this form as long as nobody insulted his Pride; this also meant that Escanor's power level was not complete when in this form, not to mention he was capable of defeating Vladimir without the royal resin.

" _Are you afraid now boy?_ " Vladimir asked, his body was raging with power and his ability was surging out of control.

 _"I am not afraid of you, but, you should be concerned with what you have done._ " Escanor replied, unimpressed and uninterested in the actions that Vladimir had taken.

" _I could defeat you with a single punch at this level._ " Vladimir gloated. By this point he was delusional, perhaps even foolish.

" _If you think you can defeat me, I urge you to try. But, before we begin I would like you to apologize._ " Escanor muttered, his pride was being attacked by this man, who believed he was the center of the world. Escanor's power began surging as well, flowing out of his body and partially melting the bridge underneath him. His true form was revealing itself, and the battle would soon be an even match between Prideful warriors.

 _"Apologize, for what?_ " Vladimir replied, questioning the man's intent.

" _Apologize for being born into my world!_ " Escanor demanded; a stern look in his eyes that changed from their regular shape into that of a ferocious cat.

When he looked upon most people in both day and night he would seem kind, his eyes embodied his mood. When they were full and similar to Diane or King's he was selfless and would help others without hesitation. When his eyes became more like Ban's his personality changed, and he would become a ferocious killer that defeats all opponents that stomp on his Pride. His transformation resembled the king of the beasts, the lion, and he was content being compared to one.

* * *

 **Merlin's group :**

 ***BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM***

" _Merlin what was that?_ " Diane said frantically, not knowing the cause.

" _I'm not sure, but, whatever it was its power level exceeded that of all the sins._ " Merlin stated, concerned at the shocking level of power.

" _How high is the power level Merlin?_ " King asked, he was also beginning to question the situation.

" _It seems to be around 7600, which means whoever it belongs too is easily stronger than any of the sins._ " Merlin replied, gripping the eye of Balor tightly as her fear of the situation began to rise. There have only been a few people who could surpass the sins on this level and they were: The Warrior chief, Matrona, the fairy adviser, Gerharde and The guardian of Camelot, Bedivere. She had heard rumors that Matrona was dead and Gerharde would not leave the forest unprotected. Merlin assumed this was sir Bedivere and she would later realize her mistake. But, her power level adjustment simply made the other 2 fear the situation.

" _I hope Escanor is alright._ " Diane muttered, realizing that she had thrown him into the stronghold and then it exploded.

" _I'm sure he is fine Diane, he seemed confident when he saved me, after all._ " King replied, attempting to comfort the giant girl. Her mind was drifting and King began realizing that in a short period of time, Diane had come to care for Escanor more than most of the sins.

" _Yeah, you're right King. I'm sure he is fine._ " She replied a smile on her face.

" _Hey, Diane, how much do care about Escanor? You did just meet him a few hours ago after all._ " King asked and was greeted with a confused looking giantess.

"I care about Escanor because he is nice to me, which is more than I can say for most people. His body is frail and weak, just like a human should be, but he also healed my wounds and prevented me from dying. His body may be weak, but, his heart is stronger than anybody's power. I care about him, because he cares about me. Not to mention I think I've met him before… but, that could just be my memory playing tricks on me." Diane replied, comforting King slightly. He now knew what had happened and held a new found respect for Escanor. Even though he dared to trust him completely he could now call him a friend if he needed too.

" _I think we should go check out the explosion, we might be needed over there._ " Merlin stated as she picked herself off of the ground.

" _Okay_ " replied both Diane and King who were ready to face the oncoming danger.

Suddenly the three sins felt an ominous sensation. Another power level had arrived and it was even greater than the first one.

" _Merlin, what was that?_ " They both yelled. The fear they had previously overcome had finally pushed them back into despair.

" _Another power level has appeared and it belongs to Vladimir. Somehow he has managed to increase his power level three times over, making a grand total of 9063._ " Merlin stated. She had also begun to worry about the situation.

" _We should hurry._ " She said. A stern and worried look began to grow on her face as the distance between them and the bridge decreased. They had also found another problem on the way there. Ban and Meliodas's power levels had dropped exponentially upon the arrival of these two new foes and Gowther was nowhere to be seen. They arrived at the mountain that Meliodas had been pounded into, he was smiling as they arrived and began to laugh at his situation.

* * *

 **Back on the bridge:**

" _What happened to you captain?_ " Diane said with a concerned look on her face. She was certainly concerned when the captain was hurt, after all she did have a thing for him.

" _I let my guard down and Vladimir sent me flying into a mountain. After that the stronghold exploded and Escanor was standing at the center of the explosion._ " He explained, hoping this would enlighten the others to their new predicament.

" _Escanor caused the explosion?_ " they all asked in unison. Turning their heads and gazing at the confrontation on the bridge between Escanor and Vladimir. They were amazed at the level of skill Escanor was showing in his fight.

" _Yep…_ " replied the captain.

" _Captain, we may have a problem, Vladimir' power level is continuing to rise. What did he do to gain such an immense amount of power?_ " Merlin asked, curious to know more on the situation.

" _He used something he called 'Royal resin' and I'm not sure why he is getting stronger. It might be because of his ability being water based. His body might have adapted to the water and the more he uses his ability; the stronger he gets._ " Meliodas replied.

" _I see…_ " Merlin remained unhappy at the situation.

" _Shouldn't we help him captain?_ " Diane asked with a concerned look on her face.

" _Actually he does not want anyone getting involved in this fight_ , so we should probably remain outside." He replied.

" _This is going to be an interesting fight. Escanor… you might just be the most interesting and charming man I have ever met._ " Merlin thought, using her trademark smile and a slight blush.


	13. Vladimir's breakdown

Upon noticing the other sins on the bridge Escanor smiled, knowing that his friends were safe and that he could defeat this man without changing any further. He could not fight at his maximum level, as he was still struggling to control his other half. He did not want to turn into that man, as he did not know how that version of himself would treat his friends. So long as Vladimir did not insult his Pride throughout the course of the battle, he should be able to finish the fight without his other half gaining the advantage of his consciousness. He also realized that, as he was now, he could only rely on approximately 15% of his abilities power. He could use Sunshine to defend against any magical attacks, but, offensively it would be best not to overuse it. So Escanor depended on another skill to win, his skill with a weapon and his technique. However, he would first have to find a weapon and the only ones he wanted were behind him.

* * *

The fight continued as Escanor continued to dodge Vladimir's rapier and block his punched, usually deflecting them to the side and throwing a punch into his opponent's stomach. To release the full extent of his power on this bridge would assure him a victory, but, he valued the lives of his friends more than a victory.

" _You seem to be getting slower_." Vladimir yelled. Blood was dripping from his mouth after receiving several punches to his stomach. Escanor felt no need to acknowledge his opponent's remarks and continued to focus on the situation. If he broke his concentration for even a second his other half would not be as kind to this man. He also needed to defeat this man at a faster pace, after all his situation was only getting worse with time. His other half was gaining more power to take control and Vladimir was also gaining more power. Escanor dashed past Vladimir to the other side of the bridge. He was sure that the sins would help him out in an indirect manner. He needed a weapon, but, he only wanted to use two of them.

" _Hey, if I want to beat this guy quickly, I am going to need a weapon. Could I borrow King's spear or Meliodas's sword?_ " he asked respectfully. Meliodas saw no reason to refuse and neither did King. So instead of taking a single weapon back to the battlefield, he would use two. He grabbed Chastifol in his right hand and Lostvayne in his left. Using two sacred treasures allowed him to use his full strength without exerting himself any further. He immediately began swinging both the weapons in order to test them and placed Lostvayne into the scabbard that Meliodas had also lent him. He gripped both ends of Chastifol and began twirling it into the air. Escanor clearly had some expertise when using a spear or a sword, and he definitely preferred using Chastifol.

"I see you have returned with weapons. Do you think you stand a chance against me now?" Vladimir said, yet again beginning to gloat and chuckling to himself.

"Yes… I think you don't stand a chance now." Escanor declared, looking into the sky, smiling as the outcome of the battle was being built into his mind.

"Why… you… I'm going to enjoy killing you, boy." Vladimir yelled, angry as his power and pride were tarnished by this common farm boy.

Vladimir attacked Escanor relentlessly, thrusting his rapier in every direction at an impressive speed. Escanor simply placed Chastifol in front of him and smiled. He began twirling the sacred treasure in from of him and would eventually hit Vladimir's rapier.

 ***twing***

The Rapier was deflected and the battle continued. Vladimir decided to use a combination of Slashing, thrusting and blocking attacks to break Escanor's guard. He did not think Escanor was capable of parrying each of his moves in quick succession, he greatly underestimated the latter's speed. A slashing attack came close to hitting Escanor, but, he dodged it in an elegant manner, he then proceeded to back step away from the thrusting attacks, which left Vladimir staggered and reestablishing his balance. Escanor took advantage of the situation and began to attack. He grabbed Chastifol tightly and swung it around, over his head. Vladimir blocked the attack moments before it removed his head and was sent flying due to the momentum of the swing. The battle was beginning to intensify as Vladimir began venting his anger.

" _How could a weakling like you, who an hour ago was too weak to fight, be besting me in a duel?_ " he demanded an explanation.

" _You power level may have risen with the Royal Resin, but your level of skill did not. Your speed, strength, magical power and adaptability have improved, but, since your level of skill is similar to someone who ranks around 3000 in power level, you cannot best me. I am used to fighting multiple opponents at once, often performing amazing feats of skill in order to keep myself alive. You, who does not know what true Pride is like can never hope to compete with me._ " Escanor replied, hoping that he had made his point clear and that Vladimir would cease this meaningless fight.

Vladimir was not pleased by this statement; he was beginning to lose himself to his Pride. There was no way he was right… he couldn't be. How could he have gained so much power, but still lack the skill to defeat this man. His frustration turned to sadness and his Pride collapsed upon itself. He began turning in all his emotions in order to fight on even grounds with this man. He could not allow himself to be beaten by the sins, not when he had already lost everything. He stood up, to begin the climax of the fight, knowing that this could be his last day on earth made him cringe. He had given up trying to defeat the sins normally, now he needed to become powerful, a being that nobody could touch. His sense were heightened, his muscles tightened and he gripped his rapier loosely to perform more complex combinations.

" _You are right, as I am now… I cannot defeat you and I thank you for reminding me not to lose myself to my pride. However, in order to thank you I will give you a quick death._ " Vladimir replied, a small smile appeared on his face. He then disappeared and the next minute was behind Escanor would instinctively blocked the swing by placing Chastifol behind him.

" _Good, I guess we can have a proper fight now…_ " he said as he turned his head to the right making eye contact with Vladimir. His right eye had begun to change; meaning the fight to control his body was slowly favoring his other half, his Pride had been hurt and his concentration on the battle had gotten to him.

* * *

The fight was beginning its final segment and soon the battle to defeat the Varbylos Stronghold's forces would be over.


	14. Escanor vs Vladimir

The beginning of their fight seemed so far away as the sun continued to rise in the sky. The Royal resin had powered Vladimir up substantially and he now had a power level over 10000, Escanor's power level remained at 7500 and the advantages that the latter once held were beginning to fade. In his time of desperation Vladimir had decided to use all his power and not hold anything back, he could not afford to make a single mistake against Escanor, but, he already had. The biggest mistake he made that day was: believing he could actually defeat the man before him. Nobody could have prepared their eyes to witness the next part of their fight as the sheer brutality and carnage that took place was insane.

* * *

 **The main group:**

" _What's happening to those two, they look different now?_ " asked Diane, clearly concerned more than the rest of the sins.

" _It would seem that Vladimir's strength is increasing with time and Escanor... something is wrong with Escanor._ " Merlin replied. She was concerned and interested in the situation. Any of the other sins would probably have been defeated by this point, except Ban and the captain. After all, Meliodas still had all of his demonic powers and Ban, being immortal, could not lose easily. The grave issue was where the sins were, in correlation with the fight. It was becoming clear that they could not remain this close or they could be injured or killed. This was the plan, before Merlin's curiosity got the better of her.

" _Actually captain, we can remain here. I have a countermeasure to attacks like this. Diane if you could sit down that would be helpful. The barrier is more effective depending on how small it is._ " Merlin stated, before the sins could leave.

" _Ok, Merlin_ " replied Diane

" _Merlin, this better work, I'm not sure if you know what will happen if it doesn't._ " Meliodas said, having faith in Merlin's ability, but, having doubts as to how strong this barrier could be.

" _Perfect cube_ " Merlin said, she wasted no time and the look on Meliodas's face said it all. This was demon magic and he had no idea Merlin could use something like this. He remained calm and decided to watch the battle with the remaining sins; Diane, King and Merlin. But, he realized that Ban was stuck against the door of the stronghold before it had been blown up, meaning Ban was still outside and Gowther was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

 **Gowther:**

" _Which way should I turn now?_ " the sin of Lust wondered as he came to a cross road. He had been hit fairly hard and his armor had cracks on the chest plate. It did not faze him, though he had been sent around 70 miles away from the group. He had been doing his best to regroup with them and had been taking shortcuts to arrive quickly. He had covered approximately 61of those miles and heard the massive explosion that happened earlier. He simply tried to regroup and had no other motive for re-joining the fight; however his presence was necessary for the sins to finish their mission.

* * *

 **Escanor vs Vladimir:**

The level of skill they showcased was tremendous and their power was greater than the other sins. The speed at which they moved continued to increase and the number of attacks per second seemed to double each minute. There was no clear victor to the fight as Vladimir's level increase beyond 11000 and Escanor remained at 7500. The latter, although outmatched in power level, seemed completely fine. In fact, he was slowly becoming accustomed to Vladimir's techniques and fighting style, he had no trouble evading or blocking his attacks. But, the fight was about to take a new direction, one that would force Escanor to do something he would later be thankful for.

Escanor parried Vladimir's rapier for what seemed like the hundredth time, he was easily dodging his attacks, although something did not appear right. The two of them were concentrating on the fight and had not spoken in the last 5 minutes. Escanor began thrusting Chastifol at Vladimir who stepped back, barely avoiding the first strike. A small segment of his hair fell to the ground and a wound opened up above his left eye. He jumped back and found a second rapier, he decided that 1 weapon would not be enough to defeat Escanor, but, 2 would increase his chances. He attacked once more, thrusting with the right rapier and slashing with left, before spinning around and slashing with both of them. Escanor dodge the thrust and repelled the first slash, although he was staggered and could not block the last attack. Escanor's body had a gaping wound along the right side of his body. Blood was pouring from the open wound, whilst his white shirt quickly became red. He decided to remove his shirt and continued the fight.

Vladimir smiled as his opponent now had a large wound on his chest. He would simply have to wait before the blood loss affected him, but, the urge to fight this man compelled him to continue the fight. The fight continued, their blows were now sending miniature shock waves along the bridge, each one damaging the supports and collapsing portions of the top. Vladimir jumped to avoid one of Escanor's swings and the latter responded by jumping as well. He then threw Chastifol at Vladimir who dodged it whilst in mid-air. Chastifol lunged into the rubble of the castle; a spatter of blood came from the impact. It would seem that Escanor threw Chastifol into Ban whilst he was healing from the explosion. Ban now found himself stuck to the ground and began cursing the world. Escanor took no notice of where Chastifol landed and grabbed Lostvayne tightly. He had no choice but to use it as a weapon against Vladimir.

The fight continued and both sides would wound each other many times over, before Vladimir's advantage over Escanor grew too large for his skill to matter. Vladimir began his own transformation; the Royal resin had merged with his blood and his body had to adapt to it. His muscles expanded and his aura changed, his power level now reaching a total of 13000, and that was the last power up he would receive from the resin. Escanor's face turned to the other sins to make sure they were safe, and Vladimir took advantage of that situation.

Vladimir charged into Escanor's side, the latter could not block the attack and was sent flying across the bridge. He smashed into the perfect cube and was repelled back along the bridge. He stopped himself from falling off of the side and began walking towards his opponent. It was at this point that Escanor snapped as blood began to drip from his mouth. His body increased in muscle mass, height and weight. He proceeded to throw Lostvayne backwards where it landed in front of the perfect cube. He had decided that having a weapon would not change the outcome, his eyes changed to their lion like state and the blood lust that came from his aura forced Vladimir to cringe. The other sins would watch as the weak and frail man would become a merciless killer and as they watched the brutality unfold the sin of Lust came closer.

Vladimir used his ability "torrent" to attack Escanor, using all the water in the river below the bridge to power up his moves even more. The latter of which looked at him, with a threatening stare, and continued walking towards him.

" _Hydraulic bunker buster_ " Vladimir yelled, manipulating two huge pillars of water and lunging them at Escanor.

" _…_ " Escanor looked up at the magical attacks and, without saying a word, allowed them to hit him. A blast of light would counteract the water and evaporate it into the air. Vladimir was impressed and continued fighting. What he did not realize is all of Escanor's wounds had disappeared. Upon being hit with the magical water, he used "sunshine" to heal his own wounds.

" _Unlimited water spikes_ " Vladimir declared. He created thousands of small needles, and hurled them at Escanor. Escanor simply looked around and vanished, the water would hit the remains of the bridge; collapsing the half of the bridge closest to the sins. Escanor appeared behind Vladimir inside of the stronghold, where he removed Chastifol from Ban's chest and threw the latter next to the Merlin's perfect cube.

" _Boiling torrent_ " Vladimir stated, as he sent boiling water towards Escanor. Escanor stepped into the attack and took no damage; he began watching the blood pour from Vladimir's wounds before the water evaporated into smoke. Through the smoke, Vladimir could not see anything. He threw one of his rapiers at Escanor's location, believing it would finish him. The smoke prevented Vladimir from seeing and he missed his target. He knew this once he saw Chastifol flying through the air at an incredible speed which cut through Vladimir's left arm, then a boulder and eventually hit the perfect cube. He watched as his severed arm fell to the ground and Merlin gazed at the location Chastifol had hit. Her perfect cube, which had been previously unbreakable, had cracks where the attack landed. The sins were fine, as the prefect cube retained its form, however, Meliodas and Merlin, knowing the cube cannot easily be broken, were afraid.

Vladimir clutched his arm as he began moving backwards. His blood stained the bridge with red and he began realizing his mistake. What had happened to his overwhelming advantage? Merlin used Balor's eye to analyse Escanor's strength. Upon doing this, she dropped the eye and gazed in fear at the man who was not to be trifled with. Escanor's power level was now at 25000, he had more than tripled in power after activating sunshine. Although the time of day had only just become 7Am, his power level was still impressive. The reason for this is that Escanor's power level only increases by 1000 every hour. If he activates sunshine his power level and ability become uncontrollable. At his peak Escanor would reach a power level of 30000 and Vladimir began regretting his life and everything he had done that day.

He fell to the floor, begging for mercy as Escanor moved towards him. He pleaded for his life, as tears began to pour from his eyes.

" _I told you did I not… that you would beg for mercy by the end of today?_ " Escanor muttered, his gaze still fixed on Vladimir.

" _I'm sorry…_ " Vladimir pleaded, before Escanor's presence became too much for him to bear. He looked at the bridge below him began to melt, his legs were burning and his wounds were being seared shut. His pleas for mercy had gone unnoticed as he slowly watched as legs were burned to ash. Escanor continued to walk closer to him, crouched down to his level and look him face to face.

"I _f you had taken my warning earlier, this could have been avoided… insulting my pride and fighting me were the biggest mistakes you made in your plan._ " Escanor stated, showing no sign of regret or pity for his opponent.

" _What are you?_ " muttered Vladimir, whose throat began swelling up, making him unable to speak.

" _I am an existence like no other in this world, lord Escanor, and my clan… I do not think I belong to a clan._ " He stated, as he watched Vladimir's eyes boil out of his skull. The man who once gloated about defeating the seven deadly sins was being boiled alive by the very presence of this man and the other sins would look in horror as Escanor delivered the final blow.

" _Boom…_ " he muttered. Everyone watched as everything within a 2 mile radius exploded, melted and looked deformed. The bridge, the stronghold, the forest and the stream had all been obliterated. The perfect cube held up against the attack, but, a few second after the hit it shattered. The full force of Escanor's power was so intense it made Merlin's unbreakable barrier break. He did not even use his ability to its maximum potential. He turned to face the sun on the now deformed bridge. He chuckled to himself, proud of what he had just done. He walked towards the sins, with a large smile on his face.

" _That fight took longer than I expected, I thought he would have given up by that point…_ " Escanor said.

" _You…you burned him alive, Escanor!_ " Diane and King shouted, terror in their voices.

"Y _es, I did, that just happens to be my ability "sunshine", life magic._ " Escanor replied. Merlin was at a loss for words, to think someone existed with magic that surpassed everything she had ever learned, and that was when he could not control it. The very thought of testing this power sent adrenaline coursing through her body. Escanor's "kiss" earlier was quite pleasing, although, she did not say it. The warm sensation that she felt could have been because of this ability. Thoughts raced through her mind, but, she had another pressing matter, they needed to contain Escanor.


	15. The Lion's sin of Pride

Upon talking to Escanor, it became apparent that he had changed. His personality was different and his power was overwhelming. They needed to remove him being a potential threat, as he could easily kill them all effortlessly. A plan would have to be set in motion in order to render him unconscious. The group then heard birds chirping and the rustling of bushes. A familiar face appeared from the bushes and a plan to subdue Escanor was finally possible.

* * *

" _Hello everyone_ " Gowther replied as he made it through some trees. His armor had been melted slightly and the entire left side of his armor had been smashed, this gave Merlin an idea. She teleported everyone, but Gowther and herself, back to Liones; where they would be greeted as heroes.

" _Gowther I need to amplify your blackout arrow and I want you to use it on Escanor._ " She asked.

" _I understand_." he replied, in his usual monotone voice. He released his armor and what appeared to be a scrawny man with reddish hair. The plan was applied and went unnoticed by Escanor, who had decided to gaze at the sun again.

" _Blackout arrow_ " Gowther muttered.

" _Power amplify_ " Merlin muttered.

Escanor was knocked out by the combined force of their power and they teleported him into a make shift prison cell underneath the Liones castle. They waited for several hours before Escanor began returning to his senses. It was around 6PM in the afternoon and Escanor's power had completely faded. Merlin arrived to greet Escanor and teleport him to the King. He would then discuss something with the king and agreed to the conditions of the arrangement. But, before this arrangement Merlin and Bartras had a small discussion on the matter. They discussed keeping Escanor safe and stopping him from creating havoc and one more thing.

" _Something has been bothering me about this boy, i have not had a vision of him. Perhaps the boy is not a sinner and does not belong here?_ " Bartras asked, clearly confused on why they wanted him as a member.

" _Actually he mentioned that he did have a sin he deeply regretted, but, he refused to tell me. Judging by what i saw at the stronghold he is more than strong enough, in the daylight, to become a sin. He also has medical experience and could be the team's medic should we need one. If it were not for him i dare say Diane and I would have died on our last mission._ " she replied. Easing the King into the new situation, whilst still manipulating him to get what she wanted.

" _Alright, i accept those terms... but, if i do have a vision of the seventh member, he will have to leave... unless of course it is him._ " Bartras said. He was concerned with keeping a man so dangerous in Liones, as it might upset the people and destroy the kingdom. He decided that he would take the risk and asked Merlin to bring Escanor inside of the room. When they met, they exchanged greetings and Escanor treated Bartras with respect. They continued their conversation and it eventually led to the main topic.

" _Escanor, from this day forth you will be a diamond rank holy knight of Liones and the seventh deadly sins. We may not know your sin, but, we are sure you wish to keep it hidden from everyone..._ " said Bartras, the king of Liones. He had given Escanor a title, a place to stay and a place to belong. Although the condition was that he could not leave his cell between the hours of 6AM-6PM and even when he was allowed outside, he would need an escort. He returned to Merlin, who applied her magic on his back and turned to escort him somewhere else.

" _From this day forward you're one of us, Escanor_." She said gleefully, which made Escanor blush. They then arrived at the room where the sins were having a victory party. Ban was drunk, Diane was flirting with Meliodas, King would comfort her when she was rejected and Gowther was reading his books. Merlin came into the room first, with the shy sin and sat at the table next to Meliodas. They all stared at him and with a blush on his face he lifted up the back of his shirt, turned around and showed them a tattoo of a lion's head.

" _I am the Lion's sin of Pride, Escanor, nice to meet you all again and sorry for what happened earlier_." he said with a shy tone and slight smile.

The others simply raised their glasses and yelled out with all their lungs...

" _WELCOME!_ "

Tears began to pour down Escanor's face. His smile grew larger with each passing second and all he could think about was how lucky he felt. He finally found a place where he belonged and was not treated like a monster. These people truly had a different perspective on Escanor's life.

 **THE END**


End file.
